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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Marine Corps' oldest flying squadron flew its last Harrier jump jet flight as the unit's pilots ready to fly new F-35 stealth fighters
The Marines will rebrand a squadron as pilots switch to the F-35B Lightning II. The transition from the AV-8B Harrier to the F-35B is part of modernization. The change is part of service-wide plans to enhance capabilities for modern Pacific warfare. The Marine Corps will soon rebrand a storied aviation squadron as its pilots switch to a new jet designed for next-level warfare. Amid ongoing changes to the Corps, the North Carolina-based Marine Attack Squadron 231 will be renamed "Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 231." The squadron, identified as the service's oldest flying squadron, was formed just after World War I, and it adopted the Harrier jump jet in the mid-1980s. With VMA-231's rebranding, the unit's pilots will no longer fly the AV-8B Harrier, an aircraft known for its short and vertical take-off and landing capabilities. The Corps is doing away with the plane, preferring the new fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters. Marines fly the stealth jet's B variant built for short runways and big-deck amphibious assault ships. VMA-231, known as the "Ace of Spades," will be deactivated later this year and then reactivated as VMFA-231 in the next fiscal year. The aviation unit completed its last Harrier flight last Thursday at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, according to a news release out Monday. "Everybody knows that VMA-231 is transitioning to F-35s," said the unit's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Paul Truog, stressing that the final Harrier flight was not a "sad day" and asserting that "the Wing, the [Marine Aircraft Group], and the squadron are going to be more capable of responding to any crisis." The Corps has already phased out training for the aviation mechanics responsible for Harrier engine maintenance and for Harrier pilots amid the push to field fifth-generation fighters. In previous discussions with BI, Marine pilots have characterized the newer F-35 as a game-changing capability. The changes come as the Corps remains deep in its transformation, a process to move from fielding a force built to fight counterinsurgencies to one made for modern warfare in the Pacific. It's a shift made all the more difficult by major logistical hurdles in the region and fast changing battlefields being radically shaped by AI and drone technology. Along with the Harrier, the Corps has put F/A-18 Hornets on the chopping block to make way for the F-35. The Hornet made up over half of the Corps' tactical air capabilities in 2022, according to and has been a go-to aircraft for the Marines and the Navy for both offensive and defensive needs. But there's a growing recognition that future fights could demand next-generation capabilities. In its statement on changes to VMA-231, the Marine Corps said "the squadron's transition from the legacy AV-8B Harrier II to the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is representative of 2nd MAW's ongoing modernization efforts to meet the needs of the future fight," referring to the 2nd Marine Air Wing. The Corps' "Force Design" plans, announced in 2020 amid much controversy, has already seen the service scrap its scout sniper program and tanks in an all-out effort to shed any capability deemed less urgent for the Pacific, and it has also rolled out new units in Hawaii and Japan specially formed for fighting along the Pacific's formidable island chains. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
The Marine Corps' oldest flying squadron flew its last Harrier jump jet flight as the unit's pilots ready to fly new F-35 stealth fighters
The Marine Corps will soon rebrand a storied aviation squadron as its pilots switch to a new jet designed for next-level warfare. Amid ongoing changes to the Corps, the North Carolina-based Marine Attack Squadron 231 will be renamed "Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 231." The squadron, identified as the service's oldest flying squadron, was formed just after World War I, and it adopted the Harrier jump jet in the mid-1980s. With VMA-231's rebranding, the unit's pilots will no longer fly the AV-8B Harrier, an aircraft known for its short and vertical take-off and landing capabilities. The Corps is doing away with the plane, preferring the new fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters. Marines fly the stealth jet's B variant built for short runways and big-deck amphibious assault ships. VMA-231, known as the "Ace of Spades," will be deactivated later this year and then reactivated as VMFA-231 in the next fiscal year. The aviation unit completed its last Harrier flight last Thursday at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, according to a news release out Monday. "Everybody knows that VMA-231 is transitioning to F-35s," said the unit's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Paul Truog, stressing that the final Harrier flight was not a "sad day" and asserting that "the Wing, the [Marine Aircraft Group], and the squadron are going to be more capable of responding to any crisis." The Corps has already phased out training for the aviation mechanics responsible for Harrier engine maintenance and for Harrier pilots amid the push to field fifth-generation fighters. In previous discussions with BI, Marine pilots have characterized the newer F-35 as a game-changing capability. The changes come as the Corps remains deep in its transformation, a process to move from fielding a force built to fight counterinsurgencies to one made for modern warfare in the Pacific. It's a shift made all the more difficult by major logistical hurdles in the region and fast changing battlefields being radically shaped by AI and drone technology. Along with the Harrier, the Corps has put F/A-18 Hornets on the chopping block to make way for the F-35. The Hornet made up over half of the Corps' tactical air capabilities in 2022, according to and has been a go-to aircraft for the Marines and the Navy for both offensive and defensive needs. But there's a growing recognition that future fights could demand next-generation capabilities. In its statement on changes to VMA-231, the Marine Corps said "the squadron's transition from the legacy AV-8B Harrier II to the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is representative of 2nd MAW's ongoing modernization efforts to meet the needs of the future fight," referring to the 2nd Marine Air Wing. The Corps' "Force Design" plans, announced in 2020 amid much controversy, has already seen the service scrap its scout sniper program and tanks in an all-out effort to shed any capability deemed less urgent for the Pacific, and it has also rolled out new units in Hawaii and Japan specially formed for fighting along the Pacific's formidable island chains.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Marine squadron conducts its final Harrier flight in switch to F-35
A Marine Attack Squadron has flown its final Harrier flight and is set for official deactivation in September at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Marine Attack Squadron VMA 231, known as the 'Ace of Spades,' flew its final AV-8B Harrier II flight May 29, according to a Marine release. 'Today is not a sad day,' Lt. Col. Paul Truog, current commanding officer of VMA-231, said in the release. 'This is a momentous day for Marine aviation. It's a day that we're going to celebrate.' The squadron will transition to the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, a fifth generation fighter jet. 'Everybody knows that VMA-231 is transitioning to F-35s. The Wing, the [Marine Aircraft Group], and the squadron are going to be more capable of responding to any crisis,' Truog said in his remarks. 'But that capability is not just because it's our most technically advanced weapons system. That capability is because of the Marines and the pilots that, in record amounts, raise their hands saying, 'I want to continue on, I want to keep moving forward.'' What Marine Corps aviation has in store over the next five years The Corps expects to have a full-fifth generation fleet in their tactical aircraft by 2030. The Harrier is one of two jets that the F-35 is replacing. It is slated to fly until 2027. The other aircraft is the F/A-18 Hornet, which is expected to fly until 2030, when all F-35s are expected to be operational. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, VMFA 542, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, also at Cherry Point, received its first F-35B in May 2023 and reached initial operational capability with the aircraft in February 2024. Once the unit reaches full operational capability, it will contain six squadrons with 10 planes per squadron. But that number could increase, depending on future mission requirements, basing and funding. The F-35B is a short-takeoff and vertical-landing variant of the aircraft. The F-35C is a long-range jet. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, VMFA 314, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Air Wing at Miramar, California, reached full operational capability with its F-35C in July 2021 — the first unit to do so among all military branches. The squadron deployed aboard ship the following year, supporting all 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and West Coast MEU deployments. In 2022, the Corps set procurement goals of 353 F-35B and 67 F-35C for a total of 420 aircraft at a rate of roughly 20 per year. Those aircraft will eventually fill out a planned 18 active component squadrons across the Corps.
